Bioinformatics

News Releases

Public Release: 5-Dec-2013 Cell ReportsGene found to be crucial for formation of certain brain circuitry
Using a powerful gene-hunting technique for the first time in mammalian brain cells, researchers at Johns Hopkins report they have identified a gene involved in building the circuitry that relays signals through the brain. The gene is a likely player in the aging process in the brain, the researchers say.
Howard Hughes Medical Institute, NIH/National Institute of Mental Health

Public Release: 5-Dec-2013 Stem Cell ReportsLarge-scale erythrocyte production method established using erythrocyte progenitor cells
By transducing two genes (c-MYC and BCL-XL) into iPS cells and ES cells, a Kyoto University research team led by Prof. Koji Eto at CiRA has succeeded in producing erythrocyte progenitor cells with almost unlimited ability to replicate in vitro, which they then differentiated successfully into mature erythrocytes. Although these erythrocytes consisted mostly of fetal-type hemoglobin, they were confirmed to have oxygen-carrying capacity and to have circulatory capacity following transfusion into mice.

Public Release: 5-Dec-2013 CellHow mosquitoes are drawn to human skin and breath
Scientists at the University of California, Riverside have found that the very receptors in the mosquito's maxillary palp that detect carbon dioxide are ones that detect skin odors as well, thus explaining why mosquitoes are attracted to skin odor -- smelly socks, worn clothes, bedding -- even in the absence of carbon dioxide. Using a chemical computational method they developed, the researchers identified affordable, safe and pleasant-smelling compounds that could find use in mosquito control.
NIH/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Science Foundation, University of California Global Health Institute, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation

Public Release: 4-Dec-2013 Journal of Proteome ResearchScientists unearth secrets of Périgord truffles, the culinary 'black diamond'
Just in time for the holidays when cooks in France and elsewhere will be slipping bits of the coveted black Périgord truffle under their turkeys' skin for a luxurious flavor, scientists are revealing the secrets that give the culinary world's "black diamond" its unique, pungent aroma. Their study, which could lead to better ways to determine the freshness and authenticity of the pricey delicacy, appears in ACS' Journal of Proteome Research.

Public Release: 4-Dec-2013TGen, Barrow and PCH receive $4 million grant to study genetic basis of brain injuries
In an effort to lower medical costs, identify patients at risk for injury, and speed patient recovery, scientists will attempt to identify a molecular signal that indicates severity of brain-injury during a $4 million, five-year federal grant to Barrow Neurological Institute at St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center, Phoenix Children's Hospital and the Translational Genomics Research Institute.
National Institutes of Health

Public Release: 4-Dec-2013 PLOS ONEUniversity of Maryland scientists develop new understanding of chlamydial disease
Investigators at the Institute for Genome Sciences at the University of Maryland School of Medicine have developed a new technique that can track the activity of a disease-causing microbe and the host cell response to that pathogen simultaneously. Using the new method to examine Chlamydia trachomatis infection, the study team observed how the response of the infected cell contributes to one of the hallmark outcomes of chlamydial disease -- tissue scarring. Their findings appear in the Dec. 4 issue of PLOS One.
NIH/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

Public Release: 2-Dec-2013 NatureThe importance of standardizing drug screening studies
A bioinformatics expert at the IRCM, Benjamin Haibe-Kains, recently published an article stressing the importance of standardizing drug screening studies in the prestigious scientific journal Nature. The study supports the need for further development and standardization to improve the reproducibility of drug screening studies, as they are important in identifying new therapeutic agents and their potential combinations with existing drugs.

Public Release: 28-Nov-2013 Nucleic Acids ResearchCNIO scientists create the first large catalog of interactions between drugs and proteins
A Spanish National Cancer Research Centre work, led by Alfonso Valencia, Vice-Director of Basic Research, and Michael L. Tress, brings together the biggest collection of interactions between pharmacological molecules, including other compounds, and proteins. The catalog includes 16,600 compounds, of which 1,300 contain pharmacological descriptions, and 500,000 interactions that witness the extensive social network that governs the functioning of organisms. The information is available to the entire scientific community via the public FireDB database.

Public Release: 26-Nov-2013 PLOS ONEScientists characterize effects of transplanted fecal microbiota
Scientists at the Institute for Genome Sciences at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and physicians at Sinai Hospital, Baltimore, Md., have found that restoring the normal, helpful bacteria of the gut and intestines may treat patients suffering from recurrent Clostridium difficile infections. Transplanting fecal matter of healthy donors into patients with recurrent C. difficile infection appears to restore normal bacterial composition and resolve infection. The study findings appear in the Nov. 26 issue of PLOS ONE.
Weinberg Foundation, Friedman and Friedman Group, and others

Public Release: 25-Nov-2013 Journal of Clinical InvestigationIdentification of a genetic mutation associated with steroid-resistant nephritic syndrome
In this issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Friedhelm Hildebrandt and colleagues at Boston Children's Hospital identified mutations in gene encoding the aarF domain containing kinase 4 (ADCK4) in 15 individuals with steroid-resistant nephritic syndrome from eight different families.
National Institutes of Health, Kidney Foundation of Canada and Nephcure Canada, National Research Foundation

Public Release: 25-Nov-2013 Journal of Clinical InvestigationIdentifying targets of autoantibodies
In this issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, Jordan Price and colleagues at Stanford University developed a microarray to identify cytokines, chemokines, and other circulating proteins as potential targets of the autoantibodies produced by SLE patients.
National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health, Canadian Institutes of Health, National Organization for Rare Disorders

Public Release: 21-Nov-2013 CellStanford scientists think mysterious virus could be a signal of a weak immune system
Genomic analysis of transplant patients finds an opportunistic microorganism whose elevated presence could be used an indicator in treatment. This paper offers a comprehensive look at the virome as well as suggestions of how the discovered indicator could be used in therapies involving the immune system.
Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Public Release: 20-Nov-2013Geneticists receive funding to improve citrus production and health
Two plant geneticists at the University of California, Riverside have received a $450,000 grant from the National Institute of Food and Agriculture of the US Department of Agriculture to develop a "high-density SNP genotyping array," a genetic tool that citrus breeders can use to improve the efficiency with which citrus varieties are bred. UC Riverside has a long tradition in citrus research, with citrus production and development of new varieties being a major focus.
National Institute of Food and Agriculture, US Department of Agriculture

Public Release: 19-Nov-2013 NatureHIV virus spread and evolution studied through computer modeling
Researchers at Los Alamos National Laboratory are investigating the complex relationships between the spread of the HIV virus in a population (epidemiology) and the actual, rapid evolution of the virus (phylogenetics) within each patient's body.
National Institutes of Health

Public Release: 19-Nov-2013
ACM SIGGRAPHUT Dallas computer scientists create 3-D technique
UT Dallas computer scientists are using a famous mathematician's theory to make 3-D images that are more accurate approximations of the shapes of the original objects.

Public Release: 19-Nov-2013 Biology OpenA CNIO study recreates the history of life through the genome
One of the most important processes in the life of cells is genome replication. In most organisms genome replication follows a set plan, in which certain regions of the genome replicate before others; alterations in the late replication phases had previously been related to cancer and aging. Now, a team from the Spanish National Cancer Research Centre has for the first time related this process to evolution of life.

Public Release: 17-Nov-2013 Nature MethodsProtein coding 'junk genes' may be linked to cancer
By using a new analysis method, researchers at Karolinska Institutet and Science for Life Laboratory in Sweden have found close to one hundred novel human gene regions that code for proteins. A number of these regions are so-called pseudogenes, which may be linked to cancer.
Swedish Research Council, Swedish Cancer Society, EU FP7 project GlycoHit, and others

Public Release: 14-Nov-2013 Journal of Experimental MedicineA*STAR scientists bring to light mechanism of drug for infections
Scientists at A*STAR's Singapore Immunology Network have discovered the exact mode of action by plerixafor, a drug commonly prescribed to stimulate immune responses in patients suffering from neutropenia, which causes them to become prone to oral, skin, genital infections and in worst cases, a fatal whole-body infection . A better understanding of the drug's mechanism can improve its usage to more effectively reduce risk of infections in these patients.

Public Release: 13-Nov-2013 Molecular CellDeletion of any single gene provokes mutations elsewhere in the genome
Johns Hopkins researchers report that the deletion of any single gene in yeast cells puts pressure on the organism's genome to compensate, leading to a mutation in another gene. Their discovery, which is likely applicable to human genetics because of the way DNA is conserved across species, could have significant consequences for the way genetic analysis is done in cancer and other areas of research, they say.
NIH/National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, NIH/National Institute of General Medical Sciences

Public Release: 13-Nov-2013 PLOS ONEGut microbes in healthy kids carry antibiotic resistance genes
Friendly microbes in the intestinal tracts of healthy American children have numerous antibiotic resistance genes, according to results of a pilot study by scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. The genes are cause for concern because they can be shared with harmful microbes, interfering with the effectiveness of antibiotics in ways that can contribute to serious illness and, in some cases, death.

Public Release: 13-Nov-2013Wireless sensors used to study meditation's effect on heart health
Demystifying meditation with science, researchers at the Scripps Translational Science Institute have teamed with The Chopra Foundation and The Chopra Center for Wellbeing in a novel study of the ancient practice that uses wireless health sensors to collect physiological data from meditators.
The research might for the first time demonstrate the immediate influence of meditation on blood pressure and markers of stress, and eventually guide better and more individualized treatments.
Chopra Foundation

Public Release: 10-Nov-2013 Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society BFast-mutating DNA sequences shape early development; guided evolution of uniquely human traits
What does it mean to be human? According to scientists the key lies, ultimately, in the billions of lines of genetic code that comprise the human genome. The problem, however, has been deciphering that code. But now, researchers at the Gladstone Institutes have discovered how the activation of specific stretches of DNA control the development of uniquely human characteristics -- and tell an intriguing story about the evolution of our species.
NIH/National Institute of General Medical Sciences, NIH/National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute